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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

NBA Store Philippines Marks NBA Cares 10th Anniversary with Donation to Knowledge Channel Foundation


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The National Basketball Association (NBA) and NBA Store Philippines, managed by International Athletic Trading Company, Inc. (IATC), donated Php 235,000 to Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI) for the benefit of students of Yapak, Talaga, and Roman Tantiangco Elementary Schools, mountain communities in Morong, Rizal. 

NBA Store Philippines staged a retail promotion that donates a portion of NBA Name and Number T-shirt sales proceeds from Aug. 10 to Sept. 13 to KCFI to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of NBA Cares. The donation will fund multimedia learning resources and teacher workshops for the three public schools. 

Last Nov. 11, NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson and IATC Vice President of Marketing Bea Lim presented the cheque donation to KCFI Head of Access Doris Nuval at the NBA Store in Glorietta 3.

Senate Misses the Opportunity to Side with Real Heroes


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“It was a missed opportunity.”

This was how Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros described the Senate’s failure to pass a resolution expressing the sense of the institution that the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos is not a hero and not entitled to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). 

“I am sad that the Senate missed the opportunity to defend the truth and our history from the Marcoses’ historical revisionism and negationism. It missed the chance to be on the side of real heroes,” Hontiveros said.

"I, however, commend my fellow colleagues who bravely responded to the test of history and defended the truth and the country’s struggle for collective memory," Hontiveros added.

In a vote of 8-6-6, the Senate failed to get a majority vote to pass Senate Resolution No. 86, authored by Hontiveros, which states that the crimes of Marcos to the country, and the human rights violations committed under his regime, render him unfit to be given a hero’s burial.

Senators Hontiveros, Franklin Drilon, Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Grace Poe, Bam Aquino, Francisco "Kiko" Pimentel, Joel Villanueva and Leila De Lima voted in favor of the resolution. Those who voted against were Senators Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, Vicente Sotto, Ping Lacson, Gringo Honasan, Cynthia Villar and Dick Gordon. Meanwhile, those who abstained were Senators Ralph Recto, Sherwin Gatchalian, Sonny Angara, Miguel Zubiri, Francis "Chiz" Escudero and Nancy Binay.


"Ball in Duterte's court"

Hontiveros said the ball is now in the court of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“From the start, this issue, while imbued with valid legal and constitutional questions, is ultimately a political and moral question addressed entirely to President Duterte. The President ultimately has the power to defend the country’s history or be a tool of the Marcos family’s attempt to rehabilitate its image and whitewash its crimes against the people."


"What law?"

Hontiveros also refuted Duterte’s excuse that he was merely following the law on the said issue.

"There is no law compelling President Duterte to give Marcos a hero’s burial. Even the Supreme Court’s decision does not command the Executive branch to do anything. Lest we forget, this all started with President Duterte. What he started, he can end,” Hontiveros said. 

Hontiveros said that if President Duterte proceeds to bury the remains of the late dictator in our heroes’ cemetery, he will satisfy no law, public clamor and interest. "It will not be in the pursuance of national healing and reconciliation. The President will only satiate the whims and madness of the Marcoses. He will be remembered as the President who exonerated a dictator’s brutal legacy at the expense of our history and the dignity of the Filipino people,” she concluded.

ASEAN Transport Officials Convene to Enhance Cooperation


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Transport officials and delegates from the 10 Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered today for the opening of the 42nd ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting (42nd STOM).

The STOM, which works under the direction of the ASEAN Transport Ministers, held plenary sessions to discuss various projects and policies designed to enhance regional cooperation, particularly in the aspect of transportation. The meetings will run until November 16. Within this period, STOM officials will also hold separate sessions with this year’s dialogue partners: China, Japan, and Korea.

Among the topics to be discussed is the implementation of short and medium term work plans under the Kuala Lumpur Transport Strategic Plan (KLTSP), the transport blueprint for 2016 – 2025. The KLTSP is an important pillar of the ASEAN Economic Integration, which aims to make the region stronger and more competitive.

Transportation Undersecretary Garry de Guzman, acting STOM Leader for the Philippines, highlighted the role of transportation in making the ASEAN community integrated.

“It is through transportation projects and policies that we make this region a little smaller and a lot more united. By building transportation networks and connecting our cities by air, land, and sea, we empower different industries and businesses. More importantly, we empower our people,” de Guzman said.

Other transportation projects in the agenda include the establishment of an ASEAN Roll-on Roll-off Shipping Network, ASEAN Single Shipping Market, ASEAN Single Aviation Market and other air services agreements, and development of sustainable transport-related policies and strategies.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, ATM Chairman, underscored how these efforts are consistent with the direction taken by the Duterte administration in terms of transportation infrastructure.

“The Philippine government concurs to the fact that the failure to invest, means failure to grow and develop our social and economic fabric,” Tugade said. “We’re using the battle cry build, build, build, which aims to solve issues on lack of employment, high price of goods, traffic, and transportation. The Philippine government aims to build more railways, urban mass transport, airports, seaports, more bridges and roads, and new and better cities.”

After STOM plenary sessions and discussions with dialogue partners, the ATM will convene from November 17 – 18 to adopt recommendations made by the senior transport officials.

 

*Photo from GMANetwork.com
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